Fire-clay feeder.



1. H. MEININGVER.

FIRE CLAY FEEDER. APPLICATION FILED APR-29, 19x4.

1 137 5; Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

Y 2 SHEETS'SHEET L Ji'l'gJ.

E] U 84 3mm J. H. MEININGER. FIRE CLAY FEEDER.

APPLICATION FiLEp-APR. 29. 1914.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915 ,2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lhtNORRIS PETERS C0" PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D. C

JOSEPH I-I. MEININGER, OF STRASBURG, OHIO.

FIRE-CLAY FEEDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2'7, 1915.

Application filed April 29, 1914. Serial No. 835,250.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JosEPH H. MEIN- INGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Strasburg, in the county of Tuscarawas and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire- Clay Feeders, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to feeders, and more particularly to the class of fire-clay feeding mechanism for use in brick manufacturing.

The primary object of the invention is the "provision of mechanism of this character wherein the conveyer pipes or spouts for delivering fire-clay to the brick presses will be prevented from clogging or choking so as not to interfere with the feeding of the fireclay, and thereby avoiding interruption to the manufacture of the brick.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a feeder wherein the fire-clay can be conveniently distributed while damp without possibility of the choking of the feeder.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a feeder wherein the construction thereof is generally improved so as to minimize expense for labor in cleaning the conveyer spouts or pipes, and also to insure the perfect working of the feeder.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a feeder which is simple in construction, reliable and efiicient in operation, and inexpensive in manufacture.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claim.

piece 9 supporting a hopper A in which is adapted to be deposited the fire-clay, and from which lead spaced vertical feed spouts or pipes B which are of the ordinary wellknown construction and extend to the brick presses for conveying the fire clay thereto. The spouts or pipes B extend upwardly through the support, base, or flooring C, while the hopper A is elevated the desired distance above the latter.

Arranged centrally within the hopper A is a vertical shaft 10 which is journaled in a frame 11 and has engaged therein radial agitator arms 12 so that on the rotation of the shaft 10 the arms 12 act upon the fireclay for disintegrating the mass to insure the gravitation of the fire-clay into the spouts, or pipes 10 for the conveying of the same to the brick presses.

Mounted upon the beams or sills 8 are spaced pairs of bearings 18, in one pair of which are journaled the trunnion ends 14:-

of a cross head 15 carrying spaced depending arms 16 to which are fixed hammers 17, the same being adapted to swing toward and away from the spouts or pipes B for the striking thereof to loosen the fire-clay when stuck upon the inner surface thereof or in event of the fire-clay choking or clogging them. Mounted in the arms 16 are cross rungs 18 to one of which is loosely connected a pair of links 19, the same being also loosely connected to one of several cross rungs 20 fixed in a pair of spaced trip arms 21 which are fixed in and depend from a cross head 22 formed with trunnion ends 23 which are journaled in the other pair of bearings 13, the arms 21 being tripped at intervals in a manner presently described.

Journaled in suitable bearings 24 is a double crank shaft 25, the crank 26 of which is adapted to rotate in the path of the arms 21 for tripping the same, and in this manner the hammers 17 are swung for striking the spouts or pipes B, while the other crank 27 of said shaft 25 has loosely connected thereto the operating rod 28, the same being loosely connected to one arm of a bell crank lever 29, the same being supported for rocking movement upon a pivot mounted within the forked ends 31 of an upright 32 which is secured in vertical position, and to the other arm of the bell crank lever 29 is loosely connected a link 38, the same being pivoted in the outer end of a lever 34 swingingly supported upon a per end of the shaft 10 so that on the rotation of the disk the agitator arms Will become active for breaking up the fire-clay contained Within the hopper. The disk is intermittently moved on the Working of the lever 29, Which is operated by the shaft 25, the same being driven in any suitable manner. I

In the Working of the feeder, thefire-clay Will be prevented from sticking in the spouts or pipes 13 by reason of the hammers '17 striking the same and thereby loosening the fire-clay to avoid choking or the stopping up of the said spouts or pipes during the Working of the feeder. V

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction and manner of operation'of the device Will be clearly understood, and therefore a more extended explanation has been hopper, a disk fixed to the agitator, a swing- 1ng arm supported at one side ofthe conveyer pipe, trip means connected With said arm, a hammer carried by the arm and adapted to strike the conveyer pipe, means for actuating the trip means V to impart movement to the hammer, and means co-- operative With the last-named means for intermittently moving ;the said disk.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 1 in presence of tWo'Witnesses. r

- V JOSEPH H. MEININGER. Witnesses: V V

CHARLES BUYMEIER, SIMON BEUTER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each," by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

